Between the Pages

I suspected this after watching films like Sunset Blvd., Sabrina and Some Like It Hot, but The Apartment has confirmed it for me – Billy Wilder was a blooming’ genius!  Here, Jack Lemmon plays C.C. Baxter, a mild-mannered bachelor, who lets the married executives at the insurance company where he works, use his apartment for their extra-marital trysts, in the hope that they will help him gain a promotion.  However, things get complicated when he falls for Fran (Shirley MacLaine) the girlfriend of one of his boss Mr Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray).  The film blends drama, romance and comedy.

Jack Lemmon is just superb in this film – he always seems able to create such vulnerable and sweet characters, and has such a wonderfully expressive face, which means that roles like this suit him completely.  I loved his interaction with Shirley MacLaine, who was also wonderful.  As we saw the pain that both characters go through – C.C. when realising that Fran is involved with his boss, and Fran’s heartbreak at being the ‘other woman’, the sadness is almost palpable.  Fred MacMurray was fine as said boss, although completely unlikeable (which was exactly the way he was meant to be).

There were some funny moments, and a lot of poignant moments with people not being able to say what they so desperately want to say, and Baxter being forced to make himself look like a heel in front of his neighbours, and certainly there were scenes which made me cry.  The ending though was perfect – although I’m not giving anything away…if you haven’t seen this film, you should, and you ought not to know what is going to happen! This is a grown-up love story, far from being a fairytale romance.  It has cynicism, sadness, anger, laughter, hope and revelation, and is quite simply a must-see film.

Year of release: 1960

Director: Billy Wilder

Producers: Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond, Doane Harrison

Writers: Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond

Main cast: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen